What can we learn about the decline in U.S. union membership from international data?

"This paper is composed of two parts. First, using international data, I corroborate that union density in the U.S. declined because of asymmetric growth between the union and nonunion sectors. I show union density to increase in countries experiencing strong manufacturing growth, and to declin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Polachek, Solomon W.
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Bonn 2003
IZA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19126911124919441939-What-can-we-learn-about-the-de.htm
Description
Summary:"This paper is composed of two parts. First, using international data, I corroborate that union density in the U.S. declined because of asymmetric growth between the union and nonunion sectors. I show union density to increase in countries experiencing strong manufacturing growth, and to decline in countries undergoing large women’s increases in nonagricultural employment. Second, I borrow from international relations research on war and peace to develop a cogent reason why union density differs by sector. In this vein, I apply a model primarily used to describe bilateral political interactions to figure out why workers often engage in hostile activities such as strikes. In doing so, I look at the contentious rather than the cooperative “face” of unions."
Physical Description:23 p.
Digital